Loop-extending device for photographic-film-developing machines



Oct. 12 192e. l w. R. WEBB LOOP EXVI'ENDING DEVICE FOR PHOTOGRAYHIC FILMDEVELOPING MACHINES Filed Jan. s. 1925 bb, IN VEN TOR,

A TTORNEYS.

I wam/5U@ Patented Oct. 12, 1926.

UNITED STATES y 1,002,000 PATENT lorries. i i

WILLIAM R. WEBBQ 0F `ROCHESTER, NEW YORK, ASSIGNORLTO ,EASTMAN `KODAK fCOMf PANY, or nocnns'rmtnnw YORK, AlcoRPonATroN oF NEW YORK.

LOOP-EXTENDING DEVICE PHOTOGRAPHIC-FILMfDEVELOPING IIIACI-IINFS.Y

`Application filed January 3, v1925. Serial No. 423.

Another object is'to vprovide such a device consisting'of a rollercarried by a collapsiblesupportwhich maybe provided with enclosedweights. vAnother object is to ro-v vide a device of the kind describedin wliich the collapsible `roller support will `hold the roller ina4position in which itmay rotate freely. =Another object-is to provide adevice of-'the kind described in `which the parts of the collapsiblespool support are formed withv complementary faces, which guide theparts to their operative position in assembling.` Still another Objectisto provide "a loop extending device o'fsimple construction whchcan bemade of a material which is not fdeleteriousl'y affected by the filmtreatment solutions, and other objects will appear hereinafter `from thefollowing specication, the novel features bein pointed out inthe claimsat the endthereo A large proportion of motion picture film is nowsuccessively developed, andfixed, and sometimes tinted or toned, withsuitable washings following the several steps in what is known ascontinuous machines,`that is, the film band moves continuously through amachine over suitable rollers and sprockets through the various tanks`of solution. It is common practice with some machines to vary theactionof the difierent'baths by thelength of film loo-p in suchbaths, andbythe number of loops passing therethrough. `(My weighted roller isparticu-` larlyadapted for use ,with such machines, a typical examplebeing shown in the drawings; but'it is also obviously equally useful forany machine employing loops of material'. drawn from the strip` or band,

f especiallywhere it is necessary to place the loop extending device onthe strip material from theV side of the film band. y

Coming now to the `drawing wherein like reference characters denote like.parts throughout Fig. 1 is a side elevation ofa typicalmachine inlwhich a loop extending member constructedv in accordance with, andernbodying one form lof'my'invention is used;

Fig. 2 isa half section and afhalfvside elevation of a l weightedroller;

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the roller and roller supporting membersremoved from thevbody portion; t

Fig. et ls a perspective view of one of the .roller supporting members;i

Fig. 5 is similar lto Fig. if beingv a `view of the other rollersupportingmeinbers;

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of onevoffthe weghts vwhich may be used inmy device; an

F ig.`7 is a top plan'view ofthe collapsible roller supporting membersin operative position. p

In Fig. l I have shown a typical machine with which my loop extendingmembers may be used. The film -F is drawn from a preferred form of ,myV

film supply station l over a sprocket Zand ay plurality ,of rollers',being looped'between certain "of these rollersfinto--the fluid treat`ment tanks -5, 6 and 7. These tanks may contain the necessary fluidfordeveloping, fixing, washing, tinting or-toning the film as the case maybe. The loop extending members are used to hold the `lowerend 'of thefilm loop in the tank.

'Since it is )frequently necessary inthe course of'trea'tment to ,treatsome portions of the film more than others, it is sometimes necessary toadd or remove certain of'gt'he loop extendingniembers. As shown in dotand dashed lines, the members R can-be assembled from the side of thefilm, while thefilm is sti-lll moving if necessary so that by suitablemanipulation of the rollers 3 additional loops can be made at anytime.It is, of course, possible, by suitably moving the rollers B'relative toeach other, to reduce the length of a loop or to withdraw the loopentirely, in which case the weighted roller can be quickly removedwithout disturbing the moving film band.`

As indicated in Fig. 2, the weighted roller which -forms the `loopextending member may-consist of a roller 10 preferably*l ro- Videdwithflanges 11 for guiding the e ges of'a filmV band Aand having [flanges 1Qwhich willrsupport the vedges of the ,film band and a cutaway portion 13which ,'willpre-` vent the picture areas of the film lbandfrom ycontacting with ,the roller. This roller is provided withl a centralbore14, so that the y roller may be supported by means of a pair oftrunnions 15 carried by the arms 16 extending upwardly from thecollapsible supporting members 17. hese members are similar, each havinga threaded portion 18 which, when placed together are adapted to forni ascrew which may enter into the threaded portion 19 of the body member20. As indicated in Fig. 2, this member is preferably provided with acentral bore 21 adapted to receive the weights 22 which may be of anysuitable material.

The collapsible spool supporting meinbers 17 differ from each other inthat one member has a flat face 27 provided with a groove 28, and theother member has a flat face 29 provided with a rib 30. YVhen the faces27 and 29 are laid against each other, the rib 30 by lying in the groove28 holds the members in the proper position, so that the two threadedsections 18 may be entered together as one piece into the threadedaperture 19. r1`he body member can be quickly screwed or unscrewed tothe support formed bythese two sections.

As will appear from Fig. 3, when the members 17 are assembled togetherthe arms 16 are spaced slightly from the sides of the roller 10, so thatthis roller may turn with a minimum amount of friction. As the trunnions15 extend a con'iparatively short distance into the bore 14 of theroller, 'after the body 20 has been unscrewed, it is necessary to movethe members 17 only a short distance to permit the roller to bewithdrawn.v

The operation of my device is as follows: As most continuous machinesare provided with a dummy film which is threaded through the properpath, we will assume that the film F has been started and that it ismoving through the path shown in F ig. 1. If it is desired to treat thefilm further with the solution contained in the tanks 5, an additionaltank is filled with the treatment bath and a weighted roller R isassembled in place by first placing the roller 10 above the film withone of the film supporting members 17 in place. The opposite supportingmember is then positioned by placing the trunnions 15 in the bore 14 andbringing the complementary parts of the roller. support, that is, thetongue 30 of one part and the groove 18 of the other together. Ihisbrings the faces 27 and 29 into Contact s0 that the two threadedportions 18 will form in effect a threaded plug 18 which may be screwedinto the threaded socket 19 of the body member 20. The rollers 3 maythen be moved differentially so that an additional loop will be extendedinto another tank 5.

If it is found that the film is receiving too much treatment in adifferent tank, as for instance in a tank 7, the film loop may bewithdrawn by suitable mechanism moving the weighted roller to the top,in which position it-may be removed by unscrewing the body 2O from thecollapsible supporting members 17 and removing the roller from the film.

The parts of the loop extending member are of relatively simpleconstruction so that they may be made of any desired material which isinert toward the fluid treatment baths, in which it is to be used. Hardrubber is one of the most suitable materials, although glass, Monelmetal and other materials may be used if desired. The weights 22 may beof lead.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a loop extending device for photographic film treating machines,the combination with a film contacting member, of a collapsible supporttherefor, a body member for holding the support, the support and bodymember having interengaging members adapted to hold the support in anoperative position in which the film contacting member may be supportedthereby.

2. In a loop extending device for photographic film treating machines,the combination with a film contacting member, of a collapsible supporttherefor, including a pair of supporting arms having complementaryfaces, a body member for holding the arms, and interengaging memberscarried by the supporting arms and the body member whereby the latter isadapted to hold the former with the complementary faces in engagement inwhich position said arms may hold the lilm contacting member.

3. In a loop extending device for photoghaphic film treating machines,the combinawith a film engaging roller, of arms for supporting theroller, complementary faces on the arms adapted to position the arms inone direction, a body portion and interengaging members carried by thearms and the body portion whereby the former members may be supported bythe latter in an operative position in which the roller may be rotatablysupported.

4. In a loop extending device for photographic film treating machines,the combination with a film engaging roller, of arms for supporting theroller, complementary faces on Vthe arms adapted to position the arms inone direction, a hollow body portion adapted to receive weights, andinterengaging members carried by the arms and the body member wherebythe arms may be retained in an operative position and the weights may beretained in the body member by engaging the complementary faces of thearms and joining these to the body through the interengaging members.

5. In a loop extending member for photographic film treating machines,the combination with a film roller, of a support for the rollerincluding a pair of separable arms having a fixed relative position forholding the roller in an operative rotatable position, and a bodyportion having connections with the arms being adapted to hold the armsin their operative position.

6. In a loop extending member for photographic film treating machines,the combination with a film roller, of a support for the rollerincluding a pair of separable arrns havingk a lixed relative positionfor holding the roller in an operative rotatable position, a portion ofa screw thread carried by each arm, the two arms when in an operativeposition forming a complete threaded member, a body portion forsupporting the arms, a threaded portion on the body portion, thethreaded member formed by the two arms being adapted to cooperate withthe threaded member of the body portion whereby the roller may beassembled into its operative position between the arms.

7. In a loop extending device for photographie film treating machines,the combination with a roller adapted to rest in a film, of a supportfor the roller comprising a pair of arms, means for supporting theroller between the arms, and complementary faces on the arms one ofwhich is grooved, comprising a rib on one face adapted to enter thegroove in the other face, each arm having a partially complete thread atone end, a complete thread being formed by the twoV members whenassembled, a body member, a threaded member on the body portion adaptedto cooperate with the threaded member formed by the arms whereby theroller may be supported in an operative position.

Signed at Rochester, New York this 19th day of December, 1924.

WILLIAM R. VEB'B.

